Thanksgiving travel: More than 1000 flights delayed across the Plains and Midwest amid thunder, rain and snow warnings

A major Thanksgiving travel chaos is about to ensue as severe storms batter than Plains and Midwest ahead of Thursday.

With more than 2.6 million Americans set to board their flights today, about 1000 flights have already been cancelled.

Planes, trains and automobiles across the eastern half of the US are likely to slow down due to thunder, rain, sleet, snow and potentially tornadoes on the North Carolina coast, as per the Storm Prediction Center.

More than 27 million people from Mississippi to Virginia face a severe storm risk, which is moving eastwards, meaning the threat looms over states like New York and Washington.

This could cause travel troubles for a record 55.4 million Americans who the AAA forecasted will be travelling at least 50 miles from their abodes between Wednesday and Sunday.

The busiest days to fly will be Tuesday, Wednesday and the Sunday after the national holiday. The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen 2.6 million passengers on Tuesday, 2.7 million on Wednesday and the largest, 2.9 million on Sunday.

In a public appeal post on X (Formerly Twitter), FAA administrator Mike Whitaker urged the travellers to ‘be nice to flight crews’ who are ‘working around the clock to make sure passengers get to their destinations safely.’

Then he warned, ‘The FAA has zero tolerance for unruly behaviour.’

In a press conference on Monday, US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stated that for the last year, the government has made an effort to better prepare for holiday travel.

He claimed that steps had been taken, including increasing the number of air traffic controllers employed, creating additional air routes along the East Coast, and giving airports funding for snowploughs and deicing supplies.

However, he cautioned passengers to confirm flight schedules and road conditions before departing. He stated, "Mother Nature is the X factor in all of this, of course."

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